That Which Leads Us Home - Chapter 11, Lost and Found
That Which Leads us Home
by Frakkin_Eh
Rating: K for now....
Authors notes: This story is a sequel of sorts to the Movie 'For All time' starring Mark Harmon and Mary McDonnell. It picks up in the second to last scene in the movie. If you have not seen the movie you should be able to follow the story anyway as I hope (fingers crossed on that one) that I've provided enough information in the story about what happened prior to the timeline the story takes place in. You should watch the movie though, for no other reason than it's a wonderful little movie and .. well, Mary's in it.
Special thanks to tayryn for beta'ing this story. She's the very best in the whole world
Chapter 11 - Lost and Found
Climbing the stairs to his hotel room, Charles smiled as he remembered the age-old saying, “The only thing that you can count on is the Grim Reaper and the Tax Man”… “AND the effectiveness of really good advertising,” he thought. It had been nearly eight weeks since he’d left Somerville. While he still needed to find a permanent place to live, his money situation had quickly taken care of itself. As it turned out, the advertisement business really hadn’t changed much in the past one hundred years. While the products he was trying to sell may have been different, the general principals remained the same. He’d already secured himself three clients and was fairly confident that he had a few more lined up.
All things considered, he should have been happy, but Charles was miserable. Thoughts of Laura haunted him constantly, reminding him of what could have been. She was in his dreams at night… he saw her in the streets… he saw her at the park… he saw her everywhere. With a heavy groan Charles settled into the chair at his desk and took out his stationary.
Pen in hand he began his evening ritual… the sound of the fine point of the pen scratching across the paper filled the room.
My Dearest Laura,
While I am certain a letter from me is not something you welcome I am hoping you’ll read this before you throw it away….
“God Damn it!” he spat, as he crumbled the paper in a ball and tossed in into the trashcan. He then looked down in frustration at the crumpled up paper sitting there with fifty others just like it.
He pulled out another sheet and began anew.
Dear Mrs. Brown,…………
Charles stopped and simply stared at the nearly blank sheet before him. What could he say to her to make her believe him? He’d been wracking his brain since the day he’d arrived for the right words. ‘I love you’ would get him nowhere, of that he was certain. ‘I miss you’ would mean nothing to her… ‘I need you’…. now there was an understatement.
He sat back, removed his glasses, and stared out the window to the street below. “Oh Laura,” he whispered under his breath.
“**********************************************************************************
“**********************************************************************************
Mrs. Clark gathered her bags and quickly secured her hat in place.
“Now don’t forget to pick up some flour and eggs at the store before you go home tonight, Laura. If you don’t, you won’t have anything for breakfast in the morning.”
“Yes, Mama.” Laura answered in an amused tone. “I’ve done this before you know. I’m sure that Mary and I will survive.”
“The last time I left you girls alone I swear you lost five pounds, Laura Brown. And don’t try to tell me you didn’t because I know you did!”
“Good grief, Mama. You’ll only be away for one night. We’ll be fine.” Laura stated as she rolled her eyes.
Mrs. Clark chuckled softly at the funny look her daughter gave her. “I know you will.” She said. “But it’s my job to worry about you, and I intend to do it properly.”
Laura simply smiled as she gave her mother a quick hug once she’d helped her down from the wagon. Geraldine had fallen ill and needed someone to care for her. While her sister was coming from St. Louis, she couldn’t be there until the following day so Mrs. Clark was to spend the night.
As Mrs. Clark started for the house she called after her daughter, “Oh and I put the shopping bag in the back of the wagon. You’ll have to use the old one because I washed the other last night and it was still damp this morning.”
“Yes, Mama” Laura replied in a sarcastic tone as she began to pull away.
“**********************************************************************************
“**********************************************************************************
The smell of fresh paint still lingered in the air as Laura opened the door to the Gazette. “Goodness,” she said to Fred. “When is that smell going to leave?”
“What smell?” he asked, as he continued prepping the printing press for its next run.
Laura laughed at his response and settled into the chair at the typewriter. Truth be known she was incredibly relieved to have had the office painted. The smell of smoke and the scorch marks on the walls in the storage room only reminded her of the fire, which inevitably led to thoughts of him… and memories of that man were not welcome in her world.
Welcome or not, as he had every morning since she’d last seen him, Charles Lattimer invaded her thoughts anyway. “Darn it, Laura,” she chided herself. “It’s been two months. When are you going to stop thinking about that him?”
Pushing him from her mind she quickly grabbed a blank sheet of paper and put in the typewriter. “Just focus on the story.” She reminded herself, as she began typing out potential headlines for tomorrow’s paper.
Laura rolled her head over her shoulders in an effort to work out the tension. “If only I could get a good night’s sleep,” she thought. She felt a slight pang in her heart as she recalled her dreams from the night before. For the most part, during the day, Laura was able to keep thoughts of Charles at bay. But each night as she slept he would slip in the back door. Dreams of him tormented her. Dreams of him holding her, caressing her, loving her… then hurting her over and over again.
“It’ll get easier,” she told herself. “You just need to be strong.”
She often wondered at what point she would just simply break.
Resigning herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to get her story written before lunch, Laura decided to pick up the supplies she needed at the store before she forgot. “Wouldn’t Mama love that!” she thought to herself.
“Fred, I need a few things at the store. I should be back in a little while.” She said as she made her way to the door.
“No problem, Laura. I’ll be finishing up here and then I need to get on home for a little while… one of my cows is due to calf any time now and I’d like to check on her if I may.”
“Absolutely.” She said. “In fact, why don’t you take the rest of the day off since I know you’ve been here since before dawn.”
“Thanks, Laura. I think I might do that.”
Laura grabbed the shopping bag and made her way out the door. There was a warm breeze coming in from the south and the air was filled with the smell of spring flowers. It reminded Laura of why she loved that time of year.
A huge smile graced Brigitte’s face at the sight of her dear friend coming through the door. She still looked tired, but for the most part Brigitte thought she was coming around.
“Hey!” she said, as she came around the counter with her arms wide open.
Wrapped in her friend’s embrace, Laura laughed. “Good morning to you too!” she said with a chuckle.
“Are we playing hooky today?”
“No, not really. I just couldn’t seem to focus on the story I’m working on so I thought I’d take a small break. I have some things I need to pick up so I figured I’d take care of that instead.”
“Ah, I see.” Brigitte said with a smile. “Well, let me know if you need help.” She added.
“Will do.” Laura replied as she made her way to the back of the store.
A few minutes later, Laura laid her items on the counter for Brigitte to log. “Will that be all today, Mrs. Brown?” she asked in a playful tone.
“I think so, Mrs. Rourke” Laura responded with a giggle.
“That’ll be fifty-three cents.”
“Sure thing.” Laura said as she rummaged through the bottom of the bag for the money her mother had said she’d put there. Not finding any, she then stuffed her hand in the front pocket.
“That’s odd.” She said, as she pulled out a small leather pouch. “I’ve never seen Mama keep the money in this before.”
Brigitte watched the color drain from her friend’s face as she opened the pouch and pulled out what looked like a piece of paper. She thought she saw Laura sway before she quickly recovered enough to stay vertical.
“Ummm… looks like Mama forgot to put the money in the bag.” She said in a faint voice.
Brigitte studied her face intently. “Laura? Are you okay?”
“Yes! Yes, Brie, I’m fine. Would you mind charging these items until tomorrow?”
“Of course, you don’t even have to ask. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look so good.”
“Yes… Yes, I’m fine. I ummm….. I need to get back.”
Brigitte watched as her friend wearily made her way across the street and into the Gazette. A sickening nervous feeling washed over her as she looked down at the items Laura had left on the counter. “What in heaven’s name was that about?” she wondered.
As Laura settled into the chair she took a deep breath. With trembling fingers she slowly opened the pouch and pulled out the photograph. “What is this?” she wondered as she held the color print in her hand. “Is this some sort of tiny painting?” She ran a finger over the glossy finish. “No. Definitely not a painting… It looks like a photograph. But….. in color?”
As Laura studied the smiling faces looking back at her, a sickening feeling settled in the pit of her belly. She slowly turned the photo over to examine the back of it. The same word… Kodak... was printed over and over again. And then there was something handwritten.
Laura could feel the breath leave her lungs as she read the inscription on the back of the photograph…
… Charles and Kristen’s first home. July 9th, 1985.
A sudden rush of nausea came over her as her eyes zeroed in on the date once again.
…. Nineteen Eighty-Five
Gasping, she dropped the photo on the desk as she brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God.” She said under her breath. “Oh my GOD” she said again louder.
Laura quickly stood and took several steps back from the desk, as though the photo might leap up and bite her. Tears filled her eyes as memories of the things he’d said and done came crashing down on her.
She looked out the window at the very spot he had stood the day she’d met him. She closed her eyes as the scene played out in her head
”Did anyone ever tell you it’s rude to stare?” Laura asked with a small smile.
Charles stammered, and then stuttered. “Uh… sorry. It’s just you look exactly like…”
“… Exactly like the drawing he told me about.” She said aloud. “Oh!” she sighed and covered her mouth once again in an effort to stifle a sob.
The words Mary had said that day at lunch rang like thunder in her mind.
“Look, we have company. Mr. Lattimer from St. Louis. Doesn’t he wear funny clothes?”
Laura hung her head as she recalled telling her daughter not to be rude. Truth be known, she herself had wondered about the handsome visitor’s outfit that day. It did seem rather different, not at all like what they were used to seeing. “And very much like what he’s wearing in this photograph,” she thought.
She felt faint as she slowly walked back over to the desk and picked up the photo. As she studied the image of the woman with her arm around Charles a new wave of tears came rushing in, causing her vision to double. She blinked as she tried to focus on this pretty blonde. Laura’s heart pounded as she suddenly put it all together. Her hair, her clothes, the house in the background. None of it fit, none of it looked right… it all seemed so surreal, so out of this world.
Laura began to tremble as all the things he’d said… the odd little things that had caused her to wonder… they all of a sudden made sense.
… “You know if I could pick a time to live… any time. I’d pick right here, right now, at the brink of a whole new century, with so much promise ahead.”
… “Keep an open mind about McKinley.”
… “If I were only a hundred years younger.”
… “I don’t know where I belong; I don’t know where I’m supposed to be.”
… My life is not right there. It doesn’t fit. I was searching and somehow I found this place and I found you.”
“No!” she said in a shaky a whisper. “No no no no. Oh God, PLEASE no.” She said as she stood staring at the photograph.
As Laura closed her eyes she replayed that moment... in the very spot she currently stood… the desperation in his voice. “Laura, I LOVE YOU!”
She gasped as she recalled the feel of her hand against his face… with such force it had whipped his head around.
“Oh My God.” She cried. “What have I done?”
“**********************************************************************************
“**********************************************************************************
Brigitte was never so happy to see her husband in her life. “Oh thank God you’re here.” She said, as she rushed from behind the counter.
Alarm filled his eyes as he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure.” She said. “But something’s up with Laura. I have to go talk to her, can you mind the store?”
“I’m done with my deliveries for the day so I suppose I can close up here.” He responded.
Brigitte gave her husband an affectionate kiss on the lips. “Thank you.” she said, and rushed out the door and across the street.
Brigitte couldn’t see Laura when she first entered the office. “Laura?” she called out. “Are you in here?” She struggled to make out her surroundings as her eyes tried to adjust to dim lighting at the back of the office. Then she heard a small sniffle from the corner of the room.
“Laura?” Spotting her friend in the far corner of the room she rushed to her side. “Oh, Lore, what’s happened?”
As Laura turned to look at her, Brigitte’s heart nearly broke in two. “I had it Brie. I had my second chance, right here in my hands…” She said, and held out her hands with her palms turned to the sky. “… and I let it slip away.”
Brigitte pulled up a chair to sit beside her as she took Laura’s hands in hers. “Okay, Laura, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Honey, you’re really scaring me here. What happened?”
“I made a horrible mistake Brie. A terrible, HORRIBLE mistake.”
“Okay, what mistake did you make?”
Brigitte was trembling with fear as she watched her best friend unravel. As her tears began to fall her words were nearly inaudible. She was certain Laura was having a nervous breakdown right there before her eyes.
“Charles.” She whispered.
“Mr. Lattimer? What about him? I thought he’d left.”
Laura nodded. “Yes, that’s just it, Brie. He left because of me. I sent him away.”
“I sort of figured that, but I didn’t want to push you too hard, thought you’d tell me about it when you were ready.”
Laura simply nodded through her tears. “I was wrong, Brie. I was wrong and now he’s gone… forever.”
“Oh, Laura!” Brigitte put her arms around her friend and held her tightly as she wept.
Laura took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “There was a misunderstanding and he tried to explain and I didn’t believe him. But he was telling the truth all along, and I didn’t believe him!”
Brigitte tightened her arms around her friend and rocked her gently as she sobbed.
“He told me he loved me, Brigitte.”
Brigitte stopped and pulled back to see Laura’s face. Her friend continued, “He told me he loved me and I slapped him in response… and I accused him of being a spy for Thompson.”
Brigitte reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Ouch!”
Laura just looked at her in agreement. “Yeah, you can say that again.”
Brie then looked her directly in the eyes. “Laura, are you in love with him too?”
Brigitte shuddered at the sound of the broken voice she heard in response. “More than anyone knows.”
For several minutes the women simply sat in silence. The only sounds around them were the faint bustle from the street outside and Laura’s sniffles. Brigitte then patted her friend’s hand and simply stated. “Okay, enough of this.” She got up and looked down at Laura. “Laura Brown does not sit and cry over things… LauraBrown takes the bull by the horns and fixes what’s broken!” she stated.
Through tear stained eyes she looked at Brigitte bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about? I’m talking about YOU, Laura.” She said as she grabbed her arms and pulled Laura to her feet. “You need to go home and pack a bag.”
“What for?” Laura asked.
“You, my dear, are going to St. Louis.”
Chapter 10 <> Chapter 12
Previous Chapters
by Frakkin_Eh
Rating: K for now....
Authors notes: This story is a sequel of sorts to the Movie 'For All time' starring Mark Harmon and Mary McDonnell. It picks up in the second to last scene in the movie. If you have not seen the movie you should be able to follow the story anyway as I hope (fingers crossed on that one) that I've provided enough information in the story about what happened prior to the timeline the story takes place in. You should watch the movie though, for no other reason than it's a wonderful little movie and .. well, Mary's in it.
Special thanks to tayryn for beta'ing this story. She's the very best in the whole world
Chapter 11 - Lost and Found
Climbing the stairs to his hotel room, Charles smiled as he remembered the age-old saying, “The only thing that you can count on is the Grim Reaper and the Tax Man”… “AND the effectiveness of really good advertising,” he thought. It had been nearly eight weeks since he’d left Somerville. While he still needed to find a permanent place to live, his money situation had quickly taken care of itself. As it turned out, the advertisement business really hadn’t changed much in the past one hundred years. While the products he was trying to sell may have been different, the general principals remained the same. He’d already secured himself three clients and was fairly confident that he had a few more lined up.
All things considered, he should have been happy, but Charles was miserable. Thoughts of Laura haunted him constantly, reminding him of what could have been. She was in his dreams at night… he saw her in the streets… he saw her at the park… he saw her everywhere. With a heavy groan Charles settled into the chair at his desk and took out his stationary.
Pen in hand he began his evening ritual… the sound of the fine point of the pen scratching across the paper filled the room.
My Dearest Laura,
While I am certain a letter from me is not something you welcome I am hoping you’ll read this before you throw it away….
“God Damn it!” he spat, as he crumbled the paper in a ball and tossed in into the trashcan. He then looked down in frustration at the crumpled up paper sitting there with fifty others just like it.
He pulled out another sheet and began anew.
Dear Mrs. Brown,…………
Charles stopped and simply stared at the nearly blank sheet before him. What could he say to her to make her believe him? He’d been wracking his brain since the day he’d arrived for the right words. ‘I love you’ would get him nowhere, of that he was certain. ‘I miss you’ would mean nothing to her… ‘I need you’…. now there was an understatement.
He sat back, removed his glasses, and stared out the window to the street below. “Oh Laura,” he whispered under his breath.
“**********************************************************************************
“**********************************************************************************
Mrs. Clark gathered her bags and quickly secured her hat in place.
“Now don’t forget to pick up some flour and eggs at the store before you go home tonight, Laura. If you don’t, you won’t have anything for breakfast in the morning.”
“Yes, Mama.” Laura answered in an amused tone. “I’ve done this before you know. I’m sure that Mary and I will survive.”
“The last time I left you girls alone I swear you lost five pounds, Laura Brown. And don’t try to tell me you didn’t because I know you did!”
“Good grief, Mama. You’ll only be away for one night. We’ll be fine.” Laura stated as she rolled her eyes.
Mrs. Clark chuckled softly at the funny look her daughter gave her. “I know you will.” She said. “But it’s my job to worry about you, and I intend to do it properly.”
Laura simply smiled as she gave her mother a quick hug once she’d helped her down from the wagon. Geraldine had fallen ill and needed someone to care for her. While her sister was coming from St. Louis, she couldn’t be there until the following day so Mrs. Clark was to spend the night.
As Mrs. Clark started for the house she called after her daughter, “Oh and I put the shopping bag in the back of the wagon. You’ll have to use the old one because I washed the other last night and it was still damp this morning.”
“Yes, Mama” Laura replied in a sarcastic tone as she began to pull away.
“**********************************************************************************
“**********************************************************************************
The smell of fresh paint still lingered in the air as Laura opened the door to the Gazette. “Goodness,” she said to Fred. “When is that smell going to leave?”
“What smell?” he asked, as he continued prepping the printing press for its next run.
Laura laughed at his response and settled into the chair at the typewriter. Truth be known she was incredibly relieved to have had the office painted. The smell of smoke and the scorch marks on the walls in the storage room only reminded her of the fire, which inevitably led to thoughts of him… and memories of that man were not welcome in her world.
Welcome or not, as he had every morning since she’d last seen him, Charles Lattimer invaded her thoughts anyway. “Darn it, Laura,” she chided herself. “It’s been two months. When are you going to stop thinking about that him?”
Pushing him from her mind she quickly grabbed a blank sheet of paper and put in the typewriter. “Just focus on the story.” She reminded herself, as she began typing out potential headlines for tomorrow’s paper.
Laura rolled her head over her shoulders in an effort to work out the tension. “If only I could get a good night’s sleep,” she thought. She felt a slight pang in her heart as she recalled her dreams from the night before. For the most part, during the day, Laura was able to keep thoughts of Charles at bay. But each night as she slept he would slip in the back door. Dreams of him tormented her. Dreams of him holding her, caressing her, loving her… then hurting her over and over again.
“It’ll get easier,” she told herself. “You just need to be strong.”
She often wondered at what point she would just simply break.
Resigning herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to get her story written before lunch, Laura decided to pick up the supplies she needed at the store before she forgot. “Wouldn’t Mama love that!” she thought to herself.
“Fred, I need a few things at the store. I should be back in a little while.” She said as she made her way to the door.
“No problem, Laura. I’ll be finishing up here and then I need to get on home for a little while… one of my cows is due to calf any time now and I’d like to check on her if I may.”
“Absolutely.” She said. “In fact, why don’t you take the rest of the day off since I know you’ve been here since before dawn.”
“Thanks, Laura. I think I might do that.”
Laura grabbed the shopping bag and made her way out the door. There was a warm breeze coming in from the south and the air was filled with the smell of spring flowers. It reminded Laura of why she loved that time of year.
A huge smile graced Brigitte’s face at the sight of her dear friend coming through the door. She still looked tired, but for the most part Brigitte thought she was coming around.
“Hey!” she said, as she came around the counter with her arms wide open.
Wrapped in her friend’s embrace, Laura laughed. “Good morning to you too!” she said with a chuckle.
“Are we playing hooky today?”
“No, not really. I just couldn’t seem to focus on the story I’m working on so I thought I’d take a small break. I have some things I need to pick up so I figured I’d take care of that instead.”
“Ah, I see.” Brigitte said with a smile. “Well, let me know if you need help.” She added.
“Will do.” Laura replied as she made her way to the back of the store.
A few minutes later, Laura laid her items on the counter for Brigitte to log. “Will that be all today, Mrs. Brown?” she asked in a playful tone.
“I think so, Mrs. Rourke” Laura responded with a giggle.
“That’ll be fifty-three cents.”
“Sure thing.” Laura said as she rummaged through the bottom of the bag for the money her mother had said she’d put there. Not finding any, she then stuffed her hand in the front pocket.
“That’s odd.” She said, as she pulled out a small leather pouch. “I’ve never seen Mama keep the money in this before.”
Brigitte watched the color drain from her friend’s face as she opened the pouch and pulled out what looked like a piece of paper. She thought she saw Laura sway before she quickly recovered enough to stay vertical.
“Ummm… looks like Mama forgot to put the money in the bag.” She said in a faint voice.
Brigitte studied her face intently. “Laura? Are you okay?”
“Yes! Yes, Brie, I’m fine. Would you mind charging these items until tomorrow?”
“Of course, you don’t even have to ask. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look so good.”
“Yes… Yes, I’m fine. I ummm….. I need to get back.”
Brigitte watched as her friend wearily made her way across the street and into the Gazette. A sickening nervous feeling washed over her as she looked down at the items Laura had left on the counter. “What in heaven’s name was that about?” she wondered.
As Laura settled into the chair she took a deep breath. With trembling fingers she slowly opened the pouch and pulled out the photograph. “What is this?” she wondered as she held the color print in her hand. “Is this some sort of tiny painting?” She ran a finger over the glossy finish. “No. Definitely not a painting… It looks like a photograph. But….. in color?”
As Laura studied the smiling faces looking back at her, a sickening feeling settled in the pit of her belly. She slowly turned the photo over to examine the back of it. The same word… Kodak... was printed over and over again. And then there was something handwritten.
Laura could feel the breath leave her lungs as she read the inscription on the back of the photograph…
… Charles and Kristen’s first home. July 9th, 1985.
A sudden rush of nausea came over her as her eyes zeroed in on the date once again.
…. Nineteen Eighty-Five
Gasping, she dropped the photo on the desk as she brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God.” She said under her breath. “Oh my GOD” she said again louder.
Laura quickly stood and took several steps back from the desk, as though the photo might leap up and bite her. Tears filled her eyes as memories of the things he’d said and done came crashing down on her.
She looked out the window at the very spot he had stood the day she’d met him. She closed her eyes as the scene played out in her head
”Did anyone ever tell you it’s rude to stare?” Laura asked with a small smile.
Charles stammered, and then stuttered. “Uh… sorry. It’s just you look exactly like…”
“… Exactly like the drawing he told me about.” She said aloud. “Oh!” she sighed and covered her mouth once again in an effort to stifle a sob.
The words Mary had said that day at lunch rang like thunder in her mind.
“Look, we have company. Mr. Lattimer from St. Louis. Doesn’t he wear funny clothes?”
Laura hung her head as she recalled telling her daughter not to be rude. Truth be known, she herself had wondered about the handsome visitor’s outfit that day. It did seem rather different, not at all like what they were used to seeing. “And very much like what he’s wearing in this photograph,” she thought.
She felt faint as she slowly walked back over to the desk and picked up the photo. As she studied the image of the woman with her arm around Charles a new wave of tears came rushing in, causing her vision to double. She blinked as she tried to focus on this pretty blonde. Laura’s heart pounded as she suddenly put it all together. Her hair, her clothes, the house in the background. None of it fit, none of it looked right… it all seemed so surreal, so out of this world.
Laura began to tremble as all the things he’d said… the odd little things that had caused her to wonder… they all of a sudden made sense.
… “You know if I could pick a time to live… any time. I’d pick right here, right now, at the brink of a whole new century, with so much promise ahead.”
… “Keep an open mind about McKinley.”
… “If I were only a hundred years younger.”
… “I don’t know where I belong; I don’t know where I’m supposed to be.”
… My life is not right there. It doesn’t fit. I was searching and somehow I found this place and I found you.”
“No!” she said in a shaky a whisper. “No no no no. Oh God, PLEASE no.” She said as she stood staring at the photograph.
As Laura closed her eyes she replayed that moment... in the very spot she currently stood… the desperation in his voice. “Laura, I LOVE YOU!”
She gasped as she recalled the feel of her hand against his face… with such force it had whipped his head around.
“Oh My God.” She cried. “What have I done?”
“**********************************************************************************
“**********************************************************************************
Brigitte was never so happy to see her husband in her life. “Oh thank God you’re here.” She said, as she rushed from behind the counter.
Alarm filled his eyes as he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure.” She said. “But something’s up with Laura. I have to go talk to her, can you mind the store?”
“I’m done with my deliveries for the day so I suppose I can close up here.” He responded.
Brigitte gave her husband an affectionate kiss on the lips. “Thank you.” she said, and rushed out the door and across the street.
Brigitte couldn’t see Laura when she first entered the office. “Laura?” she called out. “Are you in here?” She struggled to make out her surroundings as her eyes tried to adjust to dim lighting at the back of the office. Then she heard a small sniffle from the corner of the room.
“Laura?” Spotting her friend in the far corner of the room she rushed to her side. “Oh, Lore, what’s happened?”
As Laura turned to look at her, Brigitte’s heart nearly broke in two. “I had it Brie. I had my second chance, right here in my hands…” She said, and held out her hands with her palms turned to the sky. “… and I let it slip away.”
Brigitte pulled up a chair to sit beside her as she took Laura’s hands in hers. “Okay, Laura, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Honey, you’re really scaring me here. What happened?”
“I made a horrible mistake Brie. A terrible, HORRIBLE mistake.”
“Okay, what mistake did you make?”
Brigitte was trembling with fear as she watched her best friend unravel. As her tears began to fall her words were nearly inaudible. She was certain Laura was having a nervous breakdown right there before her eyes.
“Charles.” She whispered.
“Mr. Lattimer? What about him? I thought he’d left.”
Laura nodded. “Yes, that’s just it, Brie. He left because of me. I sent him away.”
“I sort of figured that, but I didn’t want to push you too hard, thought you’d tell me about it when you were ready.”
Laura simply nodded through her tears. “I was wrong, Brie. I was wrong and now he’s gone… forever.”
“Oh, Laura!” Brigitte put her arms around her friend and held her tightly as she wept.
Laura took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “There was a misunderstanding and he tried to explain and I didn’t believe him. But he was telling the truth all along, and I didn’t believe him!”
Brigitte tightened her arms around her friend and rocked her gently as she sobbed.
“He told me he loved me, Brigitte.”
Brigitte stopped and pulled back to see Laura’s face. Her friend continued, “He told me he loved me and I slapped him in response… and I accused him of being a spy for Thompson.”
Brigitte reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Ouch!”
Laura just looked at her in agreement. “Yeah, you can say that again.”
Brie then looked her directly in the eyes. “Laura, are you in love with him too?”
Brigitte shuddered at the sound of the broken voice she heard in response. “More than anyone knows.”
For several minutes the women simply sat in silence. The only sounds around them were the faint bustle from the street outside and Laura’s sniffles. Brigitte then patted her friend’s hand and simply stated. “Okay, enough of this.” She got up and looked down at Laura. “Laura Brown does not sit and cry over things… LauraBrown takes the bull by the horns and fixes what’s broken!” she stated.
Through tear stained eyes she looked at Brigitte bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about? I’m talking about YOU, Laura.” She said as she grabbed her arms and pulled Laura to her feet. “You need to go home and pack a bag.”
“What for?” Laura asked.
“You, my dear, are going to St. Louis.”
Chapter 10 <> Chapter 12
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